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City Issues Partial Boil Water Advisory

Water Main Break in 1700 Block of Brown Avenue
Posted on: August 30, 2022 - 8:16am
KDHE BWA

On Tuesday, August 30, 2022, the City of Osawatomie located in Miami County issued a Boil Water Advisory for its distribution system for customers within the 1700 block of Brown Avenue due to a water main break overnight. Residents were alerted of this BWA through the City's official website, the TextMyGov Alert system, and social media.

Customers in the affected area should observe the following precautions until further notice:

  • If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
  • Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
  • Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
  • Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
  • Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.

The advisory took effect on 8/30/2022 and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved. Osawatomie officials issued the advisory because of a water main break resulting in a loss of pressure in the system.  Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

Regardless of whether the public water supplier or Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announced a boil water advisory, only KDHE can issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.

For consumer questions, please contact the water system, or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information please visit KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information webpage: http://www.kdheks.gov/pws/emergencyresponse/water_disruption.htm

Restaurants and other food establishments that have questions about the impact of the boil water advisory on their business can contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s food safety & lodging program at  [email protected] or call 785-564-6767.